Kerr County man indicted on second-degree felony charge of online solicitation of a minor

KERR COUNTY, Texas — A Kerr County grand jury has indicted a Center Point man on a charge of online solicitation of a minor for sexual conduct, according to Kerr County court records.

Cody Lane Daily was indicted July 28 in the 198th Judicial District Court on one count of online solicitation of a minor under Texas Penal Code § 33.021(c), a second-degree felony. The case, No. B26460, is being prosecuted by the 198th District Attorney's Office, with Assistant District Attorney Stephen Harpold listed as the attorney for the state.

Daily was arrested June 15 by the Kerr County Sheriff's Office on a warrantless, on-view charge of online solicitation of a minor for sexual conduct, according to jail records. He was booked into the Kerr County Jail that day and released June 16 after posting a $20,000 surety bond through Davis Bonding of Kerrville. At the time of his arrest, jail records listed his address on Goat Creek Road in Kerrville; court records now list an address on Tallwood Drive in Center Point.

A June 22 request for court-appointed counsel was denied. Daily has since retained Kerrville attorney Richard Davis, who filed a letter of representation Aug. 11.

Following the indictment, the court continued Daily's $20,000 surety bond and imposed sex-offender bond conditions, which were signed Aug. 10, records show. Daily was served with a summons Aug. 7.

Under § 33.021(c), a person commits an offense if, over the internet, by text message or through another electronic messaging service, they knowingly solicit a minor to meet with the intent that the minor engage in sexual contact, sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse. The offense is ordinarily a third-degree felony but is a second-degree felony if the minor was younger than 14, or the defendant believed the minor was younger than 14, at the time of the offense. A second-degree felony carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Details of the alleged conduct, including how it came to the attention of law enforcement, were not included in the publicly available court record.

Daily is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Oct. 5 before Judge Patrick Maguire.

An indictment is a formal accusation and not a finding of guilt. Daily is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Keeping kids safe online

Cases like this one typically begin with contact through everyday apps — games, social media and messaging platforms — rather than obscure corners of the internet. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received more than 20 million reports of suspected online child exploitation in 2024, and the FBI has warned that financially motivated "sextortion" of teens, particularly boys, has risen sharply in recent years.

Law enforcement and child-safety organizations recommend parents take these steps:

• Know the apps. Any platform with chat — including gaming consoles, Roblox, Discord, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok — can be used to contact a child. Ask what your kids use and set up your own account to see how it works.
• Use the built-in controls. Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link let parents approve downloads, set time limits and restrict contacts. Most major apps have a family or parental-supervision setting; turn it on and set accounts to private.
• Keep devices out of bedrooms at night. Much predatory contact happens late at night when kids are alone and unsupervised. A shared charging spot in a common area is one of the simplest protections.
• Talk early and often, without shame. Teach kids that adults they meet online asking to keep secrets, move to a private app, or send photos is a red flag — and that they won't be in trouble for telling you. Predators rely on a child's fear of punishment to keep them silent.
• Never send or forward images. Remind teens that once a photo is sent, it can't be taken back, and that anyone pressuring them for images is breaking the law — not them.
• Watch for warning signs. Secrecy about online activity, new gifts or money, switching screens when a parent walks in, withdrawal or anxiety after using a device, or an older "friend" no one in the family has met.

If something happens: Don't delete the messages. Take screenshots, block the account, and report it. Reports can be made to the Kerr County Sheriff's Office at 830-896-1216, the Kerrville Police Department at 830-257-8181, the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678, or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. If a child is being threatened over an image, NCMEC's free "Take It Down" service (takeitdown.ncmec.org) can help get the image removed from participating platforms.